"More than 50% of Slovakians blame the West and Ukraine for what is happening"

Slovakia has offered to host negotiations on Ukraine "at lower levels," taking into account the position of today's Bratislava, this is a valid option, Russian Ambassador to Bratislava Igor Bratchikov said in an interview with Izvestia. Almost 70% of the country's residents believe that increasing arms supplies to Kiev is only prolonging the conflict. This year, Prime Minister Robert Fico intends to attach special importance to the 80th anniversary of the Victory and the anniversary of the liberation of Bratislava by the Red Army. A delegation is already being actively formed, which, led by the Slovak leader, will arrive in Moscow on May 9. About this, as well as about Russian-Slovak relations and the consequences of stopping gas transit, in Igor Bratchikov's exclusive interview with Izvestia.

"Slovaks demonstrate a very respectful attitude towards the memory of their liberators"

- 80 years ago, on April 4, 1945, Soviet troops liberated Bratislava from the Nazi invaders. How does the city preserve the historical memory of the Red Army's liberation operation today?

— During the liberation of Slovakia, a total of 63,5 thousand people died — these are our soldiers and officers. And every tenth of them rests here in Bratislava, at the Slavin Military Memorial Complex, which has been declared a national cultural monument. I traveled a lot around the country, and almost every village, small or large town has memorial sites related to the liberation. Slovaks demonstrate a very respectful attitude towards the memory of their liberators, the Red Army soldiers and the difficult events of the Second World War.

Unfortunately, there have been several cases of vandalism against our war memorials since February 2022, but all these objects were restored very quickly. The position of the current central authorities is exceptionally correct from a historical and current point of view. The Minister of Internal Affairs of Slovakia, the leader of one of the Golos coalition parties, Shutai-Estok, publicly strongly condemned any actions against Soviet war memorials, calling it a provocation against the historical truth. We highly appreciate it.

— What events is the embassy preparing for this date, and will representatives of local authorities and residents be invited?

— Traditionally, on this day we always pay tribute to the memory of the dead, we come to Slavin. Last year, the Slovak government returned to the practice of laying wreaths at Slavin on April 4 with the invitation of our diplomats. At that time, the event was attended not only by ministers headed by Prime Minister Robert Fico, but also by representatives of the parliament and public circles of the country. This year's celebrations, as stated by Fico, will be more significant, since it is the 80th anniversary, and I am sure that a lot of Bratislava residents will come. Such events are always attended by a very large number of ordinary citizens, and the memory of the Second World War is passed down from generation to generation here. This year, one of the deputies of the local parliament invited students of our MGIMO, Russian and Slovak students to these celebrations.

"I am sure that the contact will take place during the celebrations in Moscow"

— How is Bratislava preparing for the celebration of May 9th? What events are planned with the assistance of the Embassy and local authorities? Are there any obstacles on the part of the latter in organizing commemorative events?

— The main events here will be held on May 8 — as you know, in Europe the end of the war is celebrated on this day. Last year, the current Government resumed holding celebrations with military honors, laying wreaths, and inviting the entire diplomatic corps. But this year, Prime Minister Fico intends to attach special importance to the 80th anniversary of the Victory. The Embassy, for its part, is planning a large traditional reception with government officials. And on May 9, according to tradition, our diplomats with their families and compatriots will come to the Bratislava Memorial again to remember those to whom we owe our lives and to whom we owe our freedom. Before the current government came to power, everything looked completely different.

For three to four years, when people of a different political orientation were in power, the Russian embassy was not invited to such events. But this time, I am sure, the events will take place all over Slovakia. We receive invitations from village and city administrations, although there are those who do not invite us.

— The Deputy Speaker of the Slovak Parliament, Tibor Gaspar, stated that Prime Minister Fico plans to come to Moscow with a large delegation to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Victory. Are Russian diplomats involved in the preparations for this trip, and at what stage is the visit currently being worked out?

— The preparation has now entered a hot phase: the escort of the Prime Minister of the Fico is being formed. He has already stated that a large delegation will indeed go with him. There are a lot of applicants, both politicians and representatives of public organizations. When the formation of the delegation is completed, we will provide all possible assistance, because the preparation of the visit is part of the work of diplomats.

— Are there any plans for new bilateral meetings between Robert Fico and Vladimir Putin on May 9?

— I will not anticipate, but I am absolutely sure that the contact will take place during the celebrations in Moscow.

"Certain forces, with support from abroad, are inciting an atmosphere of hatred"

— In Slovakia, protests continued for several months against the background of Fico's visit to Moscow. The prime minister himself linked these actions to the attempted coup. Does his threat still exist?

— The destabilization of the domestic political situation in Slovakia has continued throughout the current government's tenure. Certain forces, with support from abroad, are inciting an atmosphere of hatred, which led to an assassination attempt on the prime minister last May. The protests are still ongoing, and the desire of those involved in them to remove nationally oriented politicians from the leadership of the country has not gone away.

We have no reason to doubt the information received by the Slovak government from its special services about foreign involvement, in particular, about the role of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine and those who actually command this structure.

An investigation is underway to identify the instigators and perpetrators. Currently, several foreign citizens involved in this process have been identified and they have been expelled from the country. The subversive activities of a number of Slovak NGOs that receive funding from abroad are also being investigated. But I hope that the Slovak people will show their wisdom and not allow themselves to be manipulated.

— What is the status of diplomatic relations between Russia and Slovakia?

— Under the previous government, the Slovak side, on its own initiative, stopped almost all cooperation with Russia. There was no political dialogue at all. After the start of its military operation, significant weapons were transferred to Ukraine: MiG-29 aircraft, all air defense systems, including the S-300, a significant number of artillery systems and hundreds of thousands of ammunition of various calibers. All bilateral agreements on cooperation in science, education, technology and sports were suspended, and cultural contacts were severed. But a year and a half ago, a new government came to power, and dialogue gradually began to recover, although there is still little progress in practical areas.

— How is the work of Russian diplomats abroad progressing? What problems does the Russian mission in Slovakia face?

— The situation is not easy, and everything is learned by comparison, but after the start of its work, the Russian diplomatic mission in Bratislava was seriously reduced. Strict quotas were introduced for the number of employees, both diplomatic and administrative staff. We have generally established a constructive dialogue with the current cabinet, but specific difficulties remain. They are mainly related to the restrictions imposed by the European Union, which Slovakia must comply with.

"Gas supplies on other routes are being disrupted"

— Slovakia started receiving gas from Russia via the Turkish Stream pipeline on February 1. Are there plans to increase supplies? How badly has the cessation of gas transit through Ukraine affected the republic?

— Russian gas supplies are now actually going through the Turkish Stream and the gas transportation systems of Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary. According to the management of Slovak Gas Industry JSC, these supplies are expected to double starting in April. But the capacity of the gas pipeline through Hungary is not enough, and in order to cover all the needs of the country, gas supplies via other routes are required. Bratislava is looking for these destinations, but is aware of the disadvantage of alternative routes. According to the most conservative estimates, they require up to €150 million in additional costs per year for pumping fuel, which is very significant in Slovak conditions.

Due to the situation with Ukrainian transit, the cost of gas in Europe has increased dramatically, and now it is trading many times more expensive on the Dutch Stock Exchange than in America. This raises consumer prices and leads to bankruptcy of enterprises, which negatively affects the competitiveness of Slovakia and the EU countries as a whole. This has been repeatedly stated by Fico, who advocates the resumption of gas transit through Ukraine, but the Kiev authorities are still behaving extremely unconstructively.

— Can Bratislava become a platform for negotiations between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict? Is this issue being discussed?

— The Slovak side has taken the initiative to host negotiations on Ukraine, as they put it, "at the lowest levels." Given the position of today's Bratislava, this is a valid option, if it comes to that.

"An underestimate number of the country's residents are friendly towards Russia"

— What is the public opinion in Slovakia about the Ukrainian conflict?

— Slovak society is very polarized for both domestic and foreign policy reasons. However, according to our observations, a significant number of the country's residents are friendly towards Russia, appreciate our long-standing historical ties and understand the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, but mostly they are people of the older and middle generation. Young people, however, are predominantly pro-Western under powerful propaganda pressure from outside.

In general, according to opinion polls, more than 50% of Slovakians blame the West and Ukraine for what is happening, and they consider Kiev's suppression of the rights of Russians and Russian speakers in Ukraine since 2014 to be the main cause of the conflict, as well as NATO's desire to advance its military infrastructure on its territory. And almost 70% of the country's residents are convinced that increasing arms supplies to Ukraine only leads to a prolongation of the conflict and to even more bloodshed.

— What is the current state of cultural cooperation between Russia and Slovakia?

— You touch upon very relevant and, I would say, painful points. Despite the strong demand from the population for bilateral humanitarian and cultural cooperation, there is practically no progress among the majority of the population. The previous government banned any communication with Russians in this area. The new one canceled the previous internal orders, but this had little effect on the overall situation. Directors of museums, libraries and theaters, personally, in my opinion, are afraid of disruptions of events under the pressure of aggressive Russophobic elements. Embassies are working to overcome this, and hopefully it will succeed.

— Is Slovakia discussing with Russia the possibility of cooperation between Bratislava and BRICS?

— This topic does not appear in the context of bilateral relations with Slovakia, but it is worth paying attention to Robert Fico's statement that Slovak foreign policy will focus on all four sides, not just the West. In the last six months alone, Fico has visited Russia, China, Brazil and India. Thus, we see the desire of the current Government of Slovakia to establish mutually beneficial relations with the BRICS countries.